‘‘You keep all those memories, pictures and things you keep near and dear to you in the chest,” Bartley said. ‘‘... It symbolizes the hope of finding a true cure for kids with cancer, and hopefully it will personally mean something to [the people who purchase] them.”
The hope chest signed by Bush was created by Oklahoma artist Denise Duong. Adorned with a painted American flag, the chest includes part of the former president’s inaugural speech and photos of Bush in World War II, as president and during his recent skydiving adventure. There is also a painting of a robin in memory of Bush’s daughter Robin, who lost her battle with childhood cancer at age 3.
The proceeds will benefit Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation, a Kensington-based nonprofit led by Ruth Hoffman, Bartley’s mother, and created in 1970 for childhood cancer victims and their families.
Hoffman was able to get the politicians involved through C-Change, an organization made up of leaders in government, business and nonprofits. C-Change works toward promoting early detection for cancer and eventually a cure for the disease. The organization is co-chaired by Barbara and George H.W. Bush, and Feinstein is vice chairwoman.
Bartley was inspired by her own battles with cancer as a child in London, Ontario, and again when she was 24. Her second bout was a direct result of the chemotherapy and full-body radiation she received as a child, she said.
Treatments, she said, that are outdated and too harsh for children.
‘‘Treatment they were using for kids with cancer hasn’t developed since I was there,” she said. ‘‘... So many research dollars are going to adults over kids.”
While Bartley has survived both battles, she has experienced other negative health effects, including high blood pressure, a heart condition and possible infertility.
The idea of auctioning hope chests to raise money developed from her passion to help other children. She enlisted Alexandra Nechita, the first artist for the project, at a Rockville art exhibit. Once Nechita agreed to paint and sign a hope chest for the fundraiser, it was easy to find support from other American and Canadian artists and large corporate sponsors, Bartley said.
The idea of combining art and a fundraiser for scientific research seemed natural for Bartley, who became well known at a young age in Ontario for playing the violin. She came from a musical family, and when she and her brother, Nathan, were growing up, the siblings received plenty of attention, awards and scholarships for their musical skills.
The connection between the two was strengthened when Nathan, then 9, donated bone marrow that would save his sister’s life. Without the transplant, she stood little chance of survival. With it, doctors said the 7-year-old still wouldn’t live to see her eighth birthday.
Hoffman, who now lives in Kensington, calls Bartley’s survival a ‘‘miracle,” and said money raised through the gala might help children live a normal life after cancer.
‘‘She doesn’t want other children to go through what she had to go through,” Hoffman said.
Tina Duong, a former co-worker of Bartley who is the sister of artist Denise Duong, said she was inspired by Bartley’s passion to help organize the gala event with her and impressed by Bartley’s ability to lift other people’s spirits.
‘‘Her passion for this cause moves people,” Duong said.
If you go
Tickets are still available for Naomi’s Hope for a Cure gala event, which will start 6:30 p.m. Nov. 16 at the National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW, Washington, D.C. Proceeds will go to Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation’s research initiative in Kensington. The gala dinner will include a silent auction and live auction, including 15 wooden ‘‘hope chests,” all hand-painted by artists or signed by celebrities. The event is black tie optional. Tickets are $250 per person or $2,500 for a table of 10. For more information, visit www.Hope4aCure.net.
